Vehicle-fender.



T. A. BENNETT. VEHICLE FENDER.

APPLICATION FILED OUT. 16, 1911. 1,041,726. Patented 0ct.22, 1912.

2 SHEETSSHEET 1.

T. A. BENNETT. VEHICLE FENDER.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 16, 1911. 1,041,726.

Patented Oct. 22, 1912.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

afaflmw yum COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH cm, WASHINGTON. D. c.

prairie STATES rninnr FFICE.

THOMAS ARTHUR BENNETT, OF NEWTON, HYDE, ENGLAND.

VEHICLE-FENDER.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THoMAs ARTHUR BEN- NETT, subject of the King ofGreat Britain and Ireland, and resident of Newton, Hyde, in the countyof Chester, England, have invented certain new and useful Improve mentsin Vehicle-Fenders, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in accident-preventing devices orlife-saving apparatus for use on electric tram cars and like vehiclesand has particular reference to that type of device in which a cradle ortray, grid or the like is employed for receiving and supporting any bodyor obstruction that may be met with by the car, such tray being operatedby means of a pivoted or swinging gate located a little distance infront of the tray and connected therewith by some intervening mechanism.That isto say, when the swinging gate strikes a body or obstruction onthe track the gate is turned backward and by means of the interveningmechanism enables the tray to fall down on to the track in a positionready to pick up the obstruction which has operated the apparatus.Hitherto it has been a common practice to pivot the tray from some pointof theunderframe .of the car body itself, the pivoted gate beinglikewise suspended from pivotal connections also carried by theunderframe, so that 1n both instances these elements of the life-Ysaving device partake of allthe oscillatory movement due to the carbodybeing supported by springs located between itself and the truck orunderframe supported from the wheels of the vehicle, such truck orunderframe being substantially stationary in a vertical direction sothat it always remains,

or nearly always remains, the same definite distance from the surface ofthe car track.

My invention comprises alife-saving device, the whole of the elements ofwhich are entirely supported from the pilot board ornon-vertically-moving truck; a tray or cradle of improvedconstruction'which will of its own weight normally remain in a positionwith its forward end above the track; a pivoted gate combined therewithand with intervening mechanism of an improved and novel type betweensuch tray and gate to gether with automatic means for locking the trayor cradle firmly down on to the track after the pivoted gate has beenoperated by an obstruction.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed October 16, 1911.

Patented Oct. 22, 1912. Serial No. 654,934.

which show sufficient of a car truck to which i it is applied to enablethe invention to be properly understood and in which,

Figure 1 is a side'elevation of the improved life-saving device, Fig. 2plan of same, Figs. 3 and 4 elevations from opposite sides of part ofthe mechanism between the pivoted gate and tray or cradle, Fig. 5 sideelevation of the'parts shown in Figs. 3 and 4 in the position occupiedafter operation and Fig. 6 side elevation ofthe means for holding thetray or cradle in position after being operated, Figs. 3 to 6 beingdrawn to an enlarged scale.

In the aforesaid drawings a indicates part of the truck supported by thecar wheels Z), 0 a bracket secured to the forward end of the truck and da pilot board extending transversely of the vehicle body. To the pilotboard (Z I firmly secure my bolts or otherwise two brackets 6 adapted toeX- tcnd forwardly of the board toward the front of the car, suchbrackets supporting two shafts f and g. The shaft f has fixed to it twoarms h, or more if required, of substantially C-shape in side elevation,such arms being in turn designed to support a number of laths, bars orthe-like c' or a wire netting or other suitable base to form asubstantial cradle capable of supporting the body of a person whenthrown on to it. The forward ends ofthe arms are bent slightly downwardas indicated in the drawings and the whole shape of the tray or cradleis such that its main portion extends rearwardly of the shaft f so as tooverhang and normally tend to keep the front edge of the tray raised afew inches above the surface of the car track and so remainsubstantially self-supporting in that position. The shaft 9 is locatedat the forward ends of the brackets e and has suspended freely from ittwo or more arms 7' to which are connected two or more bars is extendingtransversely of the car, though suchbars may be substituted bya stoutwire net or other medium so as to provide a gate for striking any0bstruction on the track. On the same shaft 9 I secure alever or arm isextending downwardly at the rear side of the pivoted gate, the latternormally resting against it and being kept in a substantially verticalposition so as to prevent any swinging inward, though the gate may becapable of swinging forward. Formed in one with the arm orseparatelysecured firmly to the shaft. 9 is another arm m provided at one sidewith a snug or projection n adapted to pass into a cam-shaped slot nprovided at the forward end of a link 0, such cam-shaped slot beingformed to provide a projecting portion 7) against which the snugnormally rests when the parts are in the position indicated in Fig. land in Figs. 3 and 4:. The rearward end of the link 0 is coupled to-theend of a lever g which is firmly fixed on the shaft f and can partake ofthe movement of said shaft.

On the shaft 7 there is also fixed a toothed sector or ratchet r inconjunction with which operates a weighted" or spring-controlled pawl spivoted to one of the brackets: e, the pawl normally resting on theratchet with its forward end overhanging the latter. Such forward endmay have secured to it a cord, cable or chain 25 which may be passed inany suitable manner through the platform of the car and terminate in ahandle a at a convenient point for operation by the driver of the carwhen required, as hereinafter referred to. The ratchet 7 is provided atone end with'a tooth u longer than the remaining teeth of the ratchet,that is to say, it extends above the surface of such teeth and isintended to act with the toothed pawl to prevent the overhanging trayrising above a certain distance from the car track while on the otherhand the pawl itself is prevented being raised beyond the long tooth uby a projection or stop 00 located behind it so that in this way thetooth it cannot get beyond the tooth on the pawl and con sequently thetray is normally held in a definite position.

The parts of the apparatus shown in Figs. 1 and 2 are in the positionthey normally occupy during the ordinary running of the car in a forwarddirection, but when an obstruction appears on the track, the pivotedgate comes in contact with it and is forced in a rearward direction, sooperating the arm 7:; and turning the shaft 9 in its bearings so thatthe projection or snug on the arm m engaging with the projection p pullsthe link 0 forwardly and the latter in turn draws forward the lever q soturning the shaft f and lowering the forward edge of the tray on to thecar track. Simultaneously the toothed sector is moved and the pawl dropsinto or behind one of its teeth and so locks the forward end of the trayagainst the car track in the position to which it has been moved by theintervening mechanism. The obstruction is thereby caught up by the trayand retained safely on the latter, the pivoted gate being afterward freeto drop into the normal position, though the arms 70 and m remain in theposition indicated in Fig, 5, the snug on the arm at having passedreadily turnedinto their normal position after the obstruction has beenremoved from the tray while the pawl may be lifted up by the driverthrough the agency of the cord, cable or the like so as to allow thetray to also resume its normal position. This action may also place thearms 70 and m in the normal posit-ion.

I would have it understood that the tray may be operated without firstoperating the pivoted or swinging gate, by any obstruction which may getin behind the gate and in front of the tray or cradle that is to'say, ina direction transversely o the car Under such circumstances theobstruction would be caught by the front edge of the tray as the vehiclemoved forward, causing such front edge to be depressed toward the cartrack when the pawl and ratchet mechanism would act in the same way asreviously described to lock the tray against the track. The operation ofthe tray in the manner described would, of course, operate the link 0and the arms is and m, these arms being merely turned into the positionindicated in Fig. 5, the pivoted gate remaining suspended in thevertical position. I would, however, have it understood that it is quitepossible to connect the pivoted gate rigidly to the arm 70 in which casethe parts would move rearwardly in unisonwhen the gate was operated byan obstruction or whether the obstruction operated directly on the frontedge of the pivoted tray. I prefer, however, the construction in whichthe pivoted gate is separate and distinct from the arm k.

A device of the character described is extremely useful and effectiveinasmuch as the 7 whole of the elements composing it are carried by thetruck frame itself and have no connection with the car body suspended ina resilient manner from such truck and so not being subjected toconsiderable oscillation during the running of the car or by the load ofpassengers boarding one end of the car as very often occurs' What Iclaim as my invention and desire to protect by Letters Patent is 1. Alife-saving device for tramway and like vehicles consisting of bracketssecured to the underframe of the car truck, such brackets extendingforwardly of the frame, a shaft near the rearward end of said bracketsand carried by them, a cradle or tray having the major portion of itsconstruction extending rearwardly of the shaft, a lever mounted on theaforesaid shaft, a link coupled to said lever and extending forwardlypivoted gate downwardly suspended from said shaft, a lever fixed on theshaft having a downwardly extending arm located behind the pivoted gateand a second arm provided with a snug in normal engagement with theprojection in the cam-shaped slot of the link previously referred to,substantially as described.

2. In a life-saving device for tramway and like vehicles the combinationof brackets secured to the underframe of the car truck and extendingforwardly of such, a shaft near the rearward end of said brackets andcarried by them, a cradle or tray having the major portion of itsconstruction extending rearwardly of the shaft, a lever mounted on theaforesaid shaft, a link coupled to said lever extending forwardly andprovided at its forward end with a cam-shaped slot, a projection withinthe slot, a second shaft supported in the forward ends of the bracketspreviously referred to, a pivoted gate downwardly suspended from saidshaft, a lever fixed on the shaft having a downwardly-extending armlocated behind the pivoted gate and a second arm provided with a snug innormal engagement with the projection in the cam-shaped slot of the linkpreviously referred to, a toothed sector fixed on the cradleshaft and apivoted pawl mounted on one of the brackets supporting the traysubstantially as described.

3. A life-saving device for tramway and like vehicles comprising twobrackets fixed to the truck frame, a shaft carried by said brackets, acradle or tray having the major portion of its construction extendingrearwardly of the shaft, a toothed sector fixed on the cradle shafthaving a number of ordinary teeth and a longer tooth, a pivoted pawl inengagement with the toothed sector and overhanging it, a projectionlocated behind the pawl arm, a cord, chain or cable connected to theforward end of the pawl and means for operating the cord or chain fromthe vehicle drivcrs platform substantially as described.

4. In a life-saving device for tram cars and like vehicles, a pivotedgate supported at the forward ends of brackets fixedto the car truck, ashaft mounted in the brackets forming the support for the pivoted gate,a lever fixed on said shaft and rigidly secured to the pivoted gate, asecond arm projecting from the lever provided with a projecting snug anda link coupled to a pivoted tray having a cam-shaped slot at its forwardend in which is a projection engaging with the snug on the second arm ofthe lever substantially as described.

5. The combination, with the frame of a vehicle, of brackets securedthereto and ar ranged in front of its wheels, a rear shaft carried bythe said brackets, a lever carried by the rear shaft and projectingupwardly, a cradle or scoop operatively connected with the said leverand carried by the rear shaft, a front shaft supported by the saidbrackets, a gate carried by the front shaft, an upwardly projecting armcarried by the front shaft and provided with a projection engaging withthe gate so that the said arm is moved forwardly when the gate is movedpivotally to the rear, a link pivoted at its rear end to the said lever,and disengageable catch mechanism between the front end of the link andthe said arm which permits the gate to return to its normal positionafter being moved rearwardly without moving the cradle or scoop in thereverse direction.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of twowitnesses.

THOMAS ARTHUR BENNETT.

Witnesses:

WILLIAM HENRY TAYLOR, AMY E. EvINs.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.

